Electrical properties of Cl incorporated hydrogenated amorphous silicon

The electrical properties of chlorine incorporated hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were studied. The samples were deposited with dichlosilane/silane mixtures. The conductivity of these chlorine-incorportated hydrogenated amorphous silicon films decreases with increasing dichlosilane to silane ratio. The Fermi level shifts toward the valence band with increasing chlorine content, resulting in a corresponding conductivity activation energy and room temperature conductivity decrease. However, the defect density and Urbach energy are not significantly changed in films containing chlorine.